Death sighed and looked around the dingy grey space that he inhabited. His throne that he slumped into was stark black was the most colorful object in his realm. Even his own robe was a dark grey that barely was distinguishable from the perpetual twilight in limbo. Like the souls he judged, limbo was stuck between the light of heaven and darkness of hell.

“Hello deaf!” A voice rang out in the otherwise silent morning.

Sitting up in his throne, death leaned forward as the sky seemed to turn from a dull grey to light blue. Even the light seemed brighter as he replied, “Dawn? Is that you?”

A young girl sprinted across a foggy field with her curly light brown hair bouncing with each step. She jumped into deaths outstretched arms, nuzzled into his gray cloak and sat upon the throne next to him. Death sat upright so that the girl could lean against him comfortably.

“I’m back!” Dawn announced, grinning from ear to ear.

“You are!” Death chucked. “What a pleasant surprise. How have you been?”

“I’m great! I turned 5, and my mommy got a new house, and I met my friend Taylor at preschool, and I got a new hat, and my heart stopped AGAIN!”

“Wonderful, that all sounds great. How good it is to be alive and young,” Death sighed and tried—unsuccessfully—to remember a time he felt so much joy over anything. “I forgot so much could happen in such a short time.”

“You shouldn’t forget things, that’s bad!” Dawn scolded. “And you have to eat your vegetables!”

“Is that what your mother tells you?” Death pondered out loud.

“Yes, my mommy knows everything!”

“Surely she doesn’t know everything,” death laughed, but Dawn glared back at him.

“My mommy DOES know everything!” Dawn insisted.

“Oh, of course, child, of course.” Death stroked Dawns hair and laughed.

Suddenly, a voice cried out in anguish and a man appeared in the field. Dark fog that had seemed to disappear swirled around him as he stumbled to the foot of deaths throne. He looked up wide-eyed at the hooded figure with a small girl on lap and asked, “Where am l?”

Deaths eyes started glowing red as he gritted his teeth and opened his mouth to yell at the newly departed soul, but Dawn answered before he could, “Your here!”

“Where is here?” The man stammered as he shook uncontrollably.

“I don’t know,” Dawn admitted with a smile. “But it’s fun here! And deaf helps people go to the Easter-life: he is really really nice.”

“What?” The dead man stared at the young girl who was grinning at death.

“Umm yes, you are dead,” Death explained after taking a deep breath. A smile crept across his face as he reflected on Dawn’s compliament. “This is where you can wait while your life is judged before you depart to your final resting place.”

“Dead?” The man screamed. “But I, I have so much more to live for!”

“Deaf lets you go back if you are nice,” Dawn offered.

“Please, I can do better!” The man begged.

“Errmmm… I am sure you could…” Death groaned. “However, I can’t actually return you to your life. Unlike Dawn here, you aren’t going to be recessitated. It’s your time.”

“But I-“ the man started before getting interrupted by Dawn.

“Oh, then he will go to heaven!” Dawn exclaimed. “That’s where you go when you die!”

“Umm… we’ll… yes, but I’m supposed to-“ Death tried to explain.

“Can I send him to heaven?” Dawn interrupted again. She sat up on her knees, grabbed deaths head with both her hands and pulled his head down so they were looking into each others eyes. “Please!”

Reviewing the man’s life, Death had seen only problems. The time this man cheated on his wife, two times he robbed a connivence store, 12 speeding tickets, one drunk driving crash that killed a family of 4, and various other transgressions. However, while locking eyes with Dawn he was able to see the positive effects of his life: there was a second wife he was faithful to, three kids who loved and missed him, a charity he founded that raised money to pay the medical expenses of people hit by drunk drivers, and other acts of kindness.

“You can,” Death agreed, realizing that the positive influences were the most recent, even if they did not outweigh the negative ones on the scale of justice.

Dawn squealed with delight and held her hands up to Death, who picked her up and swung his hand on sync with her. The gates of heaven opened and let a brilliant golden light shower the thrown of death. Still trembling, the man looked up at the strange pair in front of him and took a few short, shaky steps towards the light.

“Have fun in heaven!” Dawn shouted as the man walked past.

Both Death and heavens newest inhabitant couldned hep but smile as the gates closed. Death didn’t notice the light from heaven fade with himself trapped outside like he normally did on such ocassions as this though. He was too busy watching Dawn’s face glow with pride and satisfaction.

Then, just as suddenly as the man appeared, Dawn vanished. She didn’t have time to say a word, and left Death in the dingy grey twilight that always existed in his realm.

Tears streaming down his face, Death could only whisper into the empty space, “Thank you.”